Come for the eggs and fun for the children. Stay for the popcorn and adult fellowship.

Hey, the Manheim Township Parks and Recreation Department (MTPR) may just be on to something here.

The department's next event is designed to get folks out and bring people together.

"It's about community," said MTPR's director, Matt Stopa. "Physical activity has its place. But it's almost like, 'Let's do something more fun geared around the community.' It's that community atmosphere."

"I've worked with people who have lived here their whole lives," Stopa added. "And I've worked with people who have just moved here. I think that really characterizes the Manheim Township community. This can bring people together and provide opportunities for meeting new people. There are seven elementary schools in Manheim Township, and it can be very spread out."

MTPR will conduct the fourth edition of its annual Community Egg Hunt on Saturday, March 23, from 1 to 3 p.m. on the turf fields of the Manheim Township Athletic Complex, 2883 Weaver Road, Lancaster. The event is free, and everyone is welcome, but participants are encouraged to bring their own egg baskets.

Last year, more than 1,000 kids, parents and family members attended the Community Egg Hunt. Most of them were residents of Manheim Township, but some were from outside the immediate community.

"It's very similar to some of the other events we do," said Stopa. "The ultimate goal is to create positive memories for families, to just give everyone a fun experience. We want to reach as many people as we can and make it as big as we can."

The event will be broken down into four separate egg hunts by age - 2 and under, ages 3 and 4, ages 5 and 6, and ages 7 and 8. A total of 7,500 eggs - 1,000 more than last year - containing toys, stickers, candy and three to five golden tickets per age group will be the objects of desire.

"Some 2,000 eggs will be eaten up in a minute," said Stopa of the hunt's figurative feeding frenzy. "It goes quick. We want to spread it out more so more kids can get more eggs. We want every kid to get as many eggs as they can. We're trying to maximize that volume."

Enhancing the egg hunt experience will be popcorn, crafts, themed games, music and face painting. There will also be photo opportunities with the holiday mascot Mr. Bunny.

"It's outside and spring's just around the corner," said Stopa. "You have blooming flowers and there's a DJ playing. It's definitely this fun, outside event. It's kind of a lead-in to the spring and summer seasons."

"We've worked on this," he continued. "Every event we do we try to make better. We have meetings before, and we have meetings after. We're always trying to fine-tune it."

The Manheim Township Parks and Recreation Department sponsors a handful of community events throughout the year, including a Halloween carnival, a holiday open house, a summer outdoor movie night, a Groundhog Day celebration, the Landis Woods art show and a native wildlife plant festival.

For additional information about the upcoming egg hunt, search for "Manheim Township 4th Annual Community Egg Hunt" on Facebook.